Sarah Palin recently joined the ranks of those unexpectedly thrust to the front of the line, to be met with a collective shout of "WHO??"

Now Harvard has given us another one.

Among many other fine programs and services, the Humanist Chaplaincy at Harvard University selects one person each year as Harvard Humanist of the Year -- someone who has made a significant contribution to the promotion and understanding of humanism. The list of past recipients is impressive, including

Sociobiologist E.O. Wilson, author of Consilience, The Ants, and On Human Nature, winner of two Pulitzers, the Crafoord Prize, and the National Medal of Science;